Walk into most early years classrooms and you will see children grouped neatly by age — four-year-olds in one room, five-year-olds in another. It is tidy, predictable and deeply rooted in how we have long thought about education. But what if a more natural, nurturing approach could help children grow into more confident, compassionate and capable learners?

That’s the power of multi-age learning. A model where children of different ages and developmental stages learn together side-by-side rather than being separated by the year on their birth certificate. At its heart, it reflects how children actually grow and learn in real life: through observation, imitation and collaboration.

When a four-year-old watches a five-year-old zip a coat, pour water or write their name, they are witnessing a model just beyond their existing ability — what developmental psychologists call scaffolding. They aren’t simply told what to do; they see success in action. Meanwhile, the older child who helps a younger peer gains confidence, empathy and the deep satisfaction that comes from leadership and mentorship. Both benefit, and both learn.

Research consistently confirms what many educators already know: multi-age classrooms encourage more organic social and academic growth. Younger children often make faster gains in language, independence and problem-solving when surrounded by older peers. Older ones, in turn, refine their knowledge by teaching and develop essential life skills such as patience, empathy and self-regulation. Teachers frequently note that these classrooms tend to be calmer, more co-operative spaces — communities where children learn with and from one another as much as from the adults in the room.

Most importantly, multi-age learning also mirrors the real world. Outside the classroom, children rarely interact only with peers their exact age. In families, playgrounds and neighbourhoods, they constantly learn across age levels by watching, copying, helping and leading. Bringing that natural rhythm into early education fosters confidence, curiosity and compassion. It reminds children that learning is not a race against their peers, but a shared journey where everyone brings value.

Some parents, and even educators, may wonder whether teaching across multiple ages makes the classroom harder to manage. In truth, skilled early-childhood teachers already differentiate instruction to suit each child’s unique pace and profile. No two four-year-olds are ever the same, and no five-year-old learns identically to another. A multi-age approach simply recognises and celebrates that diversity instead of treating it as something to be managed away. It invites children to learn in the way that best fits their developmental stage, not just their date of birth.

At the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning, multi-age learning is not a novelty; it’s foundational to how we teach and how our students thrive. From our reception year through to our secondary programme, students experience the benefits of continuity: staying with familiar teachers and peers for more than one year, and developing deep, trusting relationships. Within that continuity, they move naturally between roles — learner, mentor, leader, friend — gaining both academic and social confidence.

We see daily how this approach transforms the classroom experience. Younger students learn that it’s OK to ask for help. Older ones discover the quiet pride of being looked up to. And teachers can guide each student according to their strengths and readiness rather than the rigid expectations of a single grade level.

It is time to move beyond the assumption that same-age means same-need. True equity in education means recognising that each child’s learning path unfolds differently, and designing environments flexible enough to meet them where they are.

In a world that too often separates and sorts, multi-age classrooms offer a refreshing reminder of something beautifully simple: we grow best together.

• Lindsey Sirju is the cofounder and deputy head of school at the Bermuda Centre for Creative Learning